Update: Addressing new level system questions and feedback

[charlsmcfarlane]

22 minutes ago, donnovan86 said:

If you see the order number, you can easily pinpoint the buyer. And that's the whole point of private reviews, to allow buyers to be honest and not feel pressure from being highlighted. Of course some buyers use this to manipulate sellers or blatantly cause them harm. 

I also know that until private reviews will be removed, this info will never be shared. Your idea is great, but realistically, Fiverr will never share private review data unless they change the system, and they won't ask for that anymore. 

I will say this, I saw a lot of sellers with more 3, 4 star reviews or less. So if the focus was on lowering review scores, it's working...

I think you misunderstood my point. There are lots of metrics that fiverr are using (cancellations, disputes etc) that have nothing to do with private reviews. It could suggest orders that it’s identified that have swayed the scores using objective data, rather than private reviews.

[elunub3]

Hello there!

I'm delighted to see the platform evolving and your efforts to enhance it. A special thanks for creating this topic where you clarify all the aspects and address questions.

I just wanted to share my feedback regarding this system. I see there are numerous comments here, and I'm confident that there has already been a response to my, so to speak, Gig. However, I want to reiterate that this is simply my opinion and feedback. I don't anticipate any explanations or further responses. I simply hope it will contribute positively to future updates

So...

1. The system is too complicated. Honestly, I didn't understand much from the main message of this topic, how ratings are formulated, and how I can influence them. I don't think the system has become more transparent. It just means everyone will get lower ratings than they do now.
2. If we're implementing such a system, it would be great to specify more clearly how I can influence the metric. Articles with advice like 'Be polite, meet deadlines' don't work. I'm polite and meet deadlines, yet I have poor metrics. My clients are satisfied, and most of them place regular orders, but all my gigs are poorly rated.
3. Here I'd like to delve deeper into the strange rating system, specifically using my own example:
   1. I had to delete one of my gigs because a random order placed in the past completely ruined its performance. It had a popular niche and great presentation, but it always had terrible statistics, and only now I could see that Fiverr's algorithms rated it at 4 points. But shouldn't such orders not affect statistics according to the rules? I'm not at fault that someone placed an order accidentally and decided to cancel it immediately. But my earnings suffered. Yes, you mentioned this in the main message. But as long as the problem exists, I believe it's fair to mention it in my feedback.
   2. As for the gigs that currently exist for me and are rated, I'd like to add some comments to each one. (The numbering corresponds to the numbers on the screenshot).
      • № 1: What does 'Conflict-free orders - Room for growth' mean? How can I specifically influence this? This gig had no conflicts. It had two successful orders that were executed absolutely clearly. The rating is unreasonably low for no reason.
      • № 2: Here I can assume that in the non-public review, the client rated me less than 5. But again: Why does the 'Order cancellations' category not have the highest rating if there were no cancellations? As for the 'Value for money' rating, it's a huge question mark: Why? This encourages sellers to lower their prices to match the highest scores, and, in turn, sellers will seek alternative ways to earn instead of working for pennies on Fiverr. With this aspect, you're promoting a race to the bottom and, consequently, diminishing your own earnings. It's strange that the product team of one of the most popular freelance platforms didn't take this into account.
      • № 3: Again, it's unclear why 'Effective communication' has such a low score. For example, the client gave a rating of 2-3 in a private review...? But I highly doubt it. We had a great collaboration, and they placed repeat orders. And once again, the strange 'Order cancellations' category.
      • № 4: Overall, it's magic. Two categories with the highest scores and yet an overall rating of 8. So how can I achieve Top Rated status?

 

Conclusion:

Before implementing such a complex system, it would have been ideal to fine-tune the rating algorithms and consider every detail. Because now it seems like these ratings are assigned randomly. No logic. And obviously, these metrics have always affected our statistics and only now have become visible to us. As your user, I state clearly: this system doesn't add transparency and doesn't enhance my user experience. I don't understand how I can influence these metrics. Your article with basic communication rules provides little practical benefit. A practical response to the question 'How to improve the metric?' is 'Respond to the client every two hours', 'Avoid using such-and-such words in dialogue'... not 'be polite'. At the moment, I absolutely don't understand how to improve the metrics mentioned in my examples.

I really hope that this month and our feedback can improve the organization of the system. For now, it's interesting but very poor. Let's hope that after the final launch, the number of our projects will increase, and it will have a positive impact on us as freelancers. Honestly, though, Fiverr is turning into a center of dumping, and even now, very few clients are willing to order more than $5 per hour. Considering my usual rate of $30 currently, I don't see the point in staying here if the situation doesn't improve. Thank you for reading this.

Best wishes,
Lika

[lamspyrou]

20 hours ago, chronos_1 said:

I have score of 10 but here is my input: 

1) Remove or change value for money:

- I set a price which I feel is justified for the experience and expertise I bring. Buyer is unknown about the work that gets put behind the curtains nor has expertise on how it is done.

- If the buyer thinks that price for the service required is high then he/ she should not start the order itself.

- I think this forces seller to reduce the prices as we get directly compared to other gigs with lower prices and provide same services. However, prices are based on final quality that you would receive which cannot be quantified without asking 2 sellers to do exact same work. 

 

2) Success score to remain TRS which is 9 is high in my opinion and it should be 8. Same goes for rating, since the new rating system has come into effect it seems 4.7* is the new 5*. To remain TRS we need to have 4.7* which I think is not good.

As a Top Rated Seller with almost 4 years exclusively on the platform and almost 2700 completed orders, I definitely agree with this.

I think the new 'Value for Money' feature in the reviews is fundamentally flawed. I don't understand why Fiverr wants sellers to charge higher rates (since they make more commissions - Top Rated and Pro sellers are encouraged to have higher price points and a higher Average Selling Price) and then Fiverr adds this feature that if we have a high price, buyers are unlikely to rank it as 'Exceptional' and hence, 5 stars.

(It is difficult to become a Top Rated seller if you have a low Average Selling Price - this implies that Fiverr rewards sellers that sell with high prices) And then they do this, which is very confusing to me.

I mean they already 20% commission on our rates! Fiverr want us to pay them for promoted gigs, to pay them for courses and for Seller plus now! As sellers, we also have to pay taxes, social contributions, pension contributions etc etc depending on the country we live in. Everything is going up with inflation and Fiverr adds this new feature that will incentivize us to lower our prices to satisfy the new value for money feature in the reviews. Why? I just don't understand it.

I understand Fiverr is trying to differentiate sellers because they have way too many sellers with 5 star reviews but Fiverr is just once again squeezing sellers into a tight spot. When everything is going up with inflation and they already take a large cut (Upwork takes 10% cut now), why are they adding this feature to impliedly encourage us to lower rates?

[dereck_s]

So here's a hot take. Maybe if someone isn't willing to say something publicly to you then they shouldn't say it. Where I live it's literally a protected right by law to be able to face your "Accuser".

 

Waking up one day to getting a glowing 5 star review and tip but to see your impressions tank or you just randomly lose a feature due to "Additional Quality Metrics" that are not shared. You aren't even notified that you get a bad private review or ever given a chance to have someone look over the info to see if you did anything wrong. Private reviews done this way and the lack of transparency is shady and only serve to hurt sellers.

 

People are finicky and some (not me of course) just wake up in a bad mood. Really the only issue here is how much pure power a buyer has over the seller. I wouldn't mind a bad review if I had a chance to defend myself and let Fiverr support staff look at both sides and then decide if I should take a hit or not.

[zeecreations]

11 hours ago, alanletsgo said:

Does "Request: Extend delivery date" affect the success score of a gig?

This needs immediate attention. Time extensions should not be included in this metric. 

[dereck_s]

Just now, zeecreations said:

This needs immediate attention. Time extensions should not be included in this metric. 

I think it's always affected it, objectively you didn't deliver on time. I hate it as well but understand why it would affect the score.

[zeecreations]

3 minutes ago, dereck_s said:

objectively you didn't deliver on time

What if the buyer is unresponsive and you don't have enough information? That's why they changed it to auto accept after 2 days instead of getting cancelled. 

It's not always our fault. 

[zeecreations]

11 hours ago, stanhenderson said:

it has to tell us in detail what the problem is and have a shorter lifespan

It could have been a good update if they kept 60 days time frame and also showed you what you're doing wrong in detail. 

[szybkaiokienko]

Also, I have one buyer who paid for a couple of orders on one or different gigs and then didn't come back with requirements even if I was sending kind reminders. These orders wait in "didint start". Most probably such a buyer won't be back ever as months passed (earlier he was coming quite often). It is quite a high sum but maybe the buyer fell sick or something. One day it will come to a cancelation and these couple of orders will harm me even if it is only because the buyer fell sick or didn't need it anymore or died or anything else. What is the logic in that? These order cancellations will doom all my accounts as buyer placed a lot of orders and never came back. 

[szybkaiokienko]

8 minutes ago, dereck_s said:

I think it's always affected it, objectively you didn't deliver on time. I hate it as well but understand why it would affect the score.

Most of the times time extensions are made because the buyer allowed it because you had eg 1-day time delivery and buyer said "oh I have more time, let it be more time" or the buyer wanted something else, or the buyer wanted extensive revision that is placed after the delivery time (which is sick because buyers wait 3 days and when it is long after your delivery time - they ask for revisions and it is like you were late. Thats sick. It is so oppressive towards seller. 

[jackmuas]

21 hours ago, arsalanco1 said:

Dear Fiverr 
Good day!
I just got notification on my account about Your account has been flagged for a severe violation of Fiverr policies)  but whats the reason? 
But what location violation? Or what other activity? I am living in Karachi pakistan since last 1999 and never goes on even vication as well 

Now what about my level 2 status or whats my account status at the moment? I want to know a bit more in detail please

If you want i can provide you my IP along with public IP 

Or any other document of proof you want 

I use fiverr in Karachi Pakistan and i am the student and a working professional too 

And providing service since 2019 on fiverr i have 2 laptops 1 i use in office and 1 at home i can provide you the mac address or anything you want and more i can provide you my government issue ID for verification 

And more sometimes i do use VPN on phone to watch netflix USA series but never use VPN on web while using fiverr 

This new system is very confusing. They argue that "While your freelancer level is determined by your performance on Fiverr, your participation in the level system is determined by your behavior on the platform", does it mean there is a difference between the "freelance level" and the "level system". For example, you can still be able to move from "Level 1" to "Level 2" but you cannot participate in "level system"? or there are certain benefits that are unique to this "level system" that are not available on the "freelance level"? Come 14th March, will sellers retain the current levels (e.g. Level 2) even if you do not participate on the "level system"?

[karlaofficial]

Fiverr - Please, really take time to go through the feedback sellers are sharing. Many of them are genuinely worried about their livelihoods. The reviews of these changes are overwhelmingly negative, so it's crucial to think carefully about how you implement this program if you choose to move forward. The changes are being implemented far too quickly. Please gather more feedback from sellers and make some clearly needed adjustments before moving forward. There needs to be far more transparency for people’s gigs than what is currently revealed, and the idea that someone with a high rating could suddenly go down to level 1 or even 0 is entirely absurd!
 

Please think again!

[omniks]

How can you evaluate sellers based on subjective opinion ? We're mostly providing creative services, and everyone has different tastes. 

And especially funny is the value for money indicator. There are always buyers to whom everything will be expensive, even for 5$, and they will be sure that with their source materials you have to make them a song like Rihanna, or animation like Marvel. But if you tell them that your material is bad, they will lower your rating for poor communication. But even if they order for the proposed amount, they will be satisfied with the result, but it is just for them it is expensive, and the results of those who have a lower price do not suit them. I think it's just human factors, and this question confuses them.

And yes communication evaluation is again subjective, someone likes to talk and ask a lot of questions, and you will answer all the questions with 2-3 sentences, and for them you may not seem communicative because you have written few messages.

Canceling an order. Why should I suffer because the buyer is just "blind" and made an order by mistake, without providing the necessary requirements, and then just does not respond. Or made an order without reading the terms and conditions of the gig. Not contacting me before the order and not clarifying if I can do what he wants, because we are mostly creative freelancers and our abilities are not limitless. It just seems like we're here selling iPhones that we have in stock and we just need to get them to the customer from our warehouse, not creative services.

With these innovations you are not making the freelancer's work easier, you are making it harder. We should focus on work and quality! But you make us concentrate on the rating, on instant replies to messages, on stressing about canceling an order, on the subjective satisfaction of the customer. 

Success is in simplicity! Don't make it complicated.

[riaus_g]

16 hours ago, Alex.M said:

might be just some bug in the end 

They should provide some details and make it clear 😭😭. I have put a lot of effort and about to become level 2 

[chrryt]

Fiverr should value freelancers as much as clients because both are essential for its success. However, the rating system favors clients over freelancers, who have to deal with unfair, rude, or dishonest clients, and in my experience these days they grow on Fiverr! The “value for the money” rating is biased because clients already agreed to pay the price when they hired the freelancer. This system creates a power imbalance and stress for freelancers, who may lose income and reputation if their ratings drop. This may also affect Fiverr’s image and trustworthiness, as potential clients may see low-rated professionals and doubt their quality. Fiverr is risking its future by ruining its freelancers.

How can the private rating system benefit after all either sellers or buyers, if they do not receive any specific feedback or suggestions from the clients? and there is no true reason behind it.  Would it not be more equitable to allow both sellers and buyers to give private ratings to each other so that the system reflects both perspectives? Moreover, this system may incentivize some clients to be demanding and unreasonable and to harm the seller’s performance without any accountability.

[charlsmcfarlane]

34 minutes ago, dereck_s said:

I think it's always affected it, objectively you didn't deliver on time. I hate it as well but understand why it would affect the score.

I offer training sessions and regularly have buyers ask to reschedule to a time after the delivery deadline. In this situation, I request an extension to benefit the buyer. I also have people that place an order and then disappear for months on end. Does this mean extending the order to give the buyer more flexibility in this way is hurting my stats? I really hope not.

[zaynmalik9]

Hey everyone,

I hope this message finds you well. Recently, I've encountered an unexpected challenge on Fiverr that has significantly impacted my main source of income. Since the introduction of the new level system, my profile has been flagged, resulting in a noticeable decline in new client engagements.

I've reached out to Fiverr support for assistance, but as of now, there hasn't been a final decision or resolution. I'm attaching screenshots to provide a clearer picture of the situation.

I'm reaching out to the community for any advice or suggestions on how to navigate this issue. If anyone has experienced something similar or has insights on how to remove a flag from a profile, your guidance would be immensely appreciated.

Thank you all for your time and support.

Best, Zayn

[vibronx]

7 minutes ago, charlsmcfarlane said:

I request an extension to benefit the buyer.

I have asked for an extension as a buyer, too. Or at least very heavily encouraged that a seller could use extensions on my orders as they saw fit. I know they wouldn't have done so if I didn't encourage it. I simply did it to be a good buyer. I would feel horrible if it ended up hurting that seller. Which it probably did now...

Edited February 16 by vibronx

[usamarehman99]

I understand that Fiverr has been working for so long with this update and finally released it. But till now it has only backfired. Haven't seen any positive response from anyone. They worked hard to increase transparency but this new system has created waves of uncertainty in the seller community. Maybe it is time to make some difficult decisions and reconsider all of this chaos. 

[webcut]

@Kesha Please let me know when the Sucess Score will update? It will update daily or monthly or weekly? Like I get few orders from a gig and receive good feedback. Now when the Success Score will be updated for that gig ?

Edited February 16 by webcut
Spelling Mistake

[allstral]

39 minutes ago, zeecreations said:

This needs immediate attention. Time extensions should not be included in this metric. 

It might be a yes-or-no answer. yes based on the announcement and maybe no for at least me? I do a lot of extended delivery because of some reason in 2022-2023. I'm good up till now. I can only presume that it comes from private feedback or that we are both wrong

[lenasemenkova]

 

I hope Fiverr reconsiders this idea of using the resolution center for any reason = conflict. 

It affected two of my gigs. They are relatively new and rarely sell so I remember every order. 

One buyer ordered 24-hour delivery, left out the crucial information for me to start working, and went to bed. I woke up with half of the time already gone, reached out, and the buyer apologized, provided the information and said that, in fact, the order was not too urgent and we could extend the deadline for another 24 hours. 

Another left out crucial information which led to the delivery being not at all what they expected. I talked them out of a cancellation and remade the design for free. 

I struggle to see how these “conflicts” are 1) my fault, 2) something that requires me “to grow” as a professional, and 3) something I should be penalized for.  

If Fiverr doesn’t want the sellers to use the resolution center at all (since requiring to use it for any reason will be considered our fault automatically), please add the big red flashing notification next to it. DO NOT TOUCH IT, DO NOT GO THERE. Yes, we added it here “for your convenience” but trust us, there will be nothing convenient about the consequences. 

For example, “Extend the delivery time” is now separated from the Resolution Center by design and it kind of gives off the impression that Fiverr *welcomes* me to use it if I feel like I’ll do a better job if I spend a bit more time on the order. Due to this design choice, I started to use it more frequently. And it turned out it was a trap all along. 

[msw_77]

25 minutes ago, zaynmalik9 said:

I'm reaching out to the community for any advice or suggestions on how to navigate this issue. If anyone has experienced something similar or has insights on how to remove a flag from a profile, your guidance would be immensely appreciated.

@zaynmalik9 here is the link to the topic of flagged issues. 

 

[elunub3]

59 minutes ago, dereck_s said:

I think it's always affected it, objectively you didn't deliver on time. I hate it as well but understand why it would affect the score.

It's a shame if so. The mechanics of the feature can be understood, but the impact on the user experience of buyers and sellers is not clear.

Dozens of different factors can influence the need to extend the deadline: from the reasons related to the delay from the buyer to the banal, my sick leave.

If there is this function, if I used it and the buyer agreed to the request, why do I suddenly become a bad seller? I didn't put pressure on the buyer, I didn't manipulate, I didn't let them down. It's simple: if they have a strict deadline, they may not approve my request, and if I'm late with the delivery, I'll get a negative rating and a bad rating. It's only fair.

But if the client and I decide to extend the deadline together, why does the fiver decide that my services are bad and my gig shouldn't be shown on the first page anymore? It's very strange if true.

[emmaki]

Wow, so the Resolution Center is now full of hidden hungry bears and ravenous lions? 

This update just keeps getting more and more transparent. I do not recall anyone mentioning the hungry bears and ravenous lions waiting to maul anyone seeking resolution.